Seemingly Insignificant
by psquare
Summary: A series of short stories featuring the long ignored and 'seemingly insignificant' cast of Inuyasha... Enjoy! Story 6 up.
1. The Villager

_**Seemingly Insignificant**_

_**1: The Villager**_

Another day, another demon.

This routine seemed to have been imbibed in generations of families living in this cursed village. In the Great War the demons wage on each other, intensified further more by the breaking and scattering of the Sacred Jewel, we villagers are caught in the middle: innocent pawns in the great fight for power that the demons play. Everyday our hard-earned and meticulously cultivated lands are soaked in the acidic saliva and black blood of countless demons, leaving their cursed mark on the land forever, rendering it completely infertile. But even that is minor as compared to the mindless slaughter of human beings, the heart-wrenching separation and death that plagued millions of villagers' families' lives…

It was a sorry existence for the common villager, like me.

I woke up that particular morning with a feeling that weighed more than the usual despair and apprehension. The day belied my emotions: the morning was beautiful: the golden sunshine shone brightly down on the lush landscape; rolling golden fields of wheat that would instill pride in the hearts of any farmer stretched for what seemed like miles; a gentle, soothing breeze blew, promising lovely weather for the rest of the day; the birds chirped cheerfully. It was very beautiful; awe-inspiring.

It was as if Nature was doing Her best to make up for the carnage we witnessed the previous night.

As I got ready for the day's work, memories of that battle rushed back into my mind, causing a shudder to travel up my spine. A group of vicious demons, having just acquired a shard of the Sacred Jewel, had decided to test out their enhanced powers by (take a guess) slaughtering the people in my village. When it seemed that the blood-fest would never stop; that the generations of villagers who had held up the principles and honour of this village would finally come to an end, this… _half-demon_ and his _friends_ had come along. And…

"Hey!"

I looked up to see one of my fellow farmers waving excitedly at me, and nearly tripping over his own feet in his enthusiasm to talk to me. I sighed. There was the proverbial village idiot, the gullible simpleton who was easily influenced by anybody who was even marginally better than him. And they weren't hard to find, obviously.

"Hey, hey," he panted, finally coming to a stop in front of me. I just stared at him coldly while he caught his breath, but that didn't seem to deter his enthusiasm. He flashed a bright smile at me before he began to speak.

"Did you _see_ that _amazing_ battle yesterday? I mean, all those, um, _scary_ demons, there must have been millions of them, I guess… but I'm only talking figuratively you know, I mean, I couldn't really count them, because I might have been killed…" He laughed weakly.

_Wish you were._ I said coldly, "Oh?"

He nodded with the pathetic eagerness of a little child. "_Yes_. And then, in front of all those horrible demons, this half-demon and his friends, all of them making a strange looking group, no doubt, defeating all those demons single-handedly, and, and, I just can't imagine a _half-demon_ being so powerful, or a strangely dressed priestess, or a monk, or fox-demon, or a _female_ demon-slayer… You know what I mean? Maybe half-breeds and females are better than we thought… Or maybe not. I mean…"

I was finally spared from his mindless rambling by the call of another farmer, who was reprimanding (quite rightly) the simpleton for not attending to his duties diligently enough. I returned to my own work.

As I went about my morning toils, my mind once again drifted to the little group who had saved our village the day before. The half-demon, the breed we had scoffed so much had been extraordinarily powerful, with his amazing sword, and even more extraordinarily considerate about human life. Half-breeds or not, demons never gave a damn about us simple villagers, the real victims of this power race for the Sacred Jewel. But this particular hanyou… he had really surprised all of us with his true consideration for human lives. But even then…

I only wished he had shown the same consideration for my fields.

His 'Windscar', the great power locked up within his gargantuan sword had burnt great portions of my wheat and corn to a crisp. Not only mine, but many others' as well. But one couldn't witness any sort of anger, or discontent in us. We were used to this; this was the way of life of a common villager in Feudal Japan.

I came to another area of my field which was not burnt, but rock-strewn and spotted with thin arrows jutting into the ground here and there. I remembered what, or rather, _who_ had caused this: the monk and that strange young priestess. The black hole which had opened up in the monk's hand, which sucked in _everything_ into its void… was truly something indescribable, a heady mixture of evil, and, strangely, a godsend, for it sucked in most of the demons that were threatening to devour us. Respect had immediately emanated from our ranks toward the monk, a wielder of such incredible power.

Then the strange beautiful priestess: she had been amazing, riding majestically on the cat-demon, shooting down the invaders with arrow after arrow… an angel, descended from the heavens… and so was that demon-slayer, with her enormous boomerang-like weapon, which brought down hordes of demons with deadly precision… their courage had shone like a beacon… faces so mesmerisingly beautiful…

I shook my head, hardening my heart and cursing myself for entering those courses of thought. I couldn't be like that simpleton, whose simple, easily-influenced nature threatened to make everyday that he lived his last. I had to be tough, alert; one false move, one uncalculated step, and I would be nothing more than demon-fodder.

Being a villager was not easy.

At that moment, screams of our village women pierced the air. The rancid smell of more demons hit my nose with a vengeance, and sweat broke out on my forehead. An attack… so early in the morning!

I ran into my modest home, grabbing the sword that I kept hidden under my pillow for just such moments. My wife ran inside as well, collapsing into my arms, sobbing uncontrollably. The sense of despair and apprehension reached a crescendo within my heart as I grabbed her shoulders and shook her gently, trying to console her. My wife never lost control of her emotion like this; something terrible must have happened.

Finally, when she had gained enough control to string a few words into a coherent sentence, she gasped, "Oh God, my son…" and she started sobbing again.

My heart dropped to my feet. My son… my only son… what had happened to him? I desperately wanted to know… only if she would stop crying and _tell_ me… Finally I lost my patience. I shook her hard. "Come on, woman, tell me!" I bellowed. "What has happened to our son?"

She stared at me in surprise, her grieving eyes glazed by a fine layer of tears. "Our- our son…" she swallowed, and spoke the dreaded words. "… is _dead_."

I sat down on the bed, too dumbstruck to do anything else. My wife continued, fighting back a fresh torrent of tears, "He was- was playing in the outskirts with the other children when-when the d-demons attacked, and, and, and they were all _killed_… Oh, my baby!" Sobs racked her body once more.

I dragged my mind out of the astonishment and grief it was suspended in. I tried to sort out my feelings- a crushing sense of resignation at the inevitability following a demon attack, which was just proved by my wife's words, dumb grief, painful shards of denial that seemed to have wedged itself into my chest… all these fought for domination over my heart. A fog drove over my eyes, and I felt myself lost in the black void of mindless sadness… when a single fact burst out in startling clarity.

The fog cleared.

I grabbed my sword and moved resolutely out of the house. My wife recovered long enough to call after me, implore me not to go, but I let her plaintive call go unheeded. The demons were responsible for my son's death. And for that, they would have to pay. With death.

That fact alone drove me on, through the carnage.

Half the village was on fire; the demons were running rampant, creating havoc everywhere. Tides of innocent villagers ran this way and that, trying desperately to evade death at the hands of those demons. Corpses littered the ground and the sight would have been sickening, were it not for my will to carry out the singular purpose: kill those demons.

As I broke into a run, sighting more of the demons ahead of me, I tripped over a corpse on the ground, landing sprawling on the rock-strewn round. Cursing viciously, I got up to see who in hell it was- and my eyes widened. It was the village simpleton. His torso had been torn open by claws from collar to navel- he was clearly dead. Strangely enough, his eyes were still open, empty, showing signs of some numb surprise at the death that had claimed him.

I almost felt sorry for him. The fellow had been happy while he had lived- always hoping, always optimistic, and simple… only to be betrayed by those very feelings. I shook my head and continued on my morbid quest.

One of those demons turned when it heard me coming; its fangs bared in an evil grin and acid-saliva dripped from its mouth, which was stained black-red by the blood of countless human lives. My eyes flared with anger.

And my son.

Giving out an animal growl, I charged at it, my sword at the ready. Memories of all those villagers, not only from my village, but from other villages as well, whose lives had been rudely taken away from them by these heinous demons only incensed me in my charge. Sure, there were some who were good, some who truly cared to save human lives, like the group which had shown up the previous night, but…

There just wasn't enough like them.

My sword drove into the demon's thigh; it didn't even flinch. Instead, it brushed me aside with its claws, almost uninterestedly. I got to my feet and turned to face it again, when it swooped down me, trapping me between its bloody jaws, and started closing its mouth while I struggled.

As my body was slowly, inexorably crushed between the monster's jaws, I could only pray- pray that one day humans would be valued more, where people like villagers could live in peace, where mindless killing was not rampant… Oh, if only that day could come…

Blinding, white-hot pain resounded through my body as the monster clamped down harder. Darkness, that blessed precursor to oblivion slipped in and out of my blurred vision. And finally…

Death claimed me.


	2. The Poison Insect

_**2: The Poison Insect**_

Everything was movement.

Caught in the sea of moving and shifting yellow and black of my comrades, the buzz of hundreds of insect wings flapping noisily in the air, the golden sunshine shining pleasantly on our backs, and the dark green canopy of the forests seemingly rushing back below us, I thought.

Yes, _thought_.

I thought about the pitiful lives we poison insects had to lead; be at the beck and call of the evil Naraku- valued only for mere spying on enemies and the poison that simmered within our bodies. Most of us met with dishonourable deaths… were looked upon scandalously, as a sign of oncoming evil. I thought, and I despaired.

It hadn't been like this, before.

A crescendo in the buzz of wings indicated the nearing of our destination. My compound eyes surveyed the area below us, as did my comrades', the images that get embedded in our primitive neuro acid being transmitted magically to the enigmatic Kana's mirror, in turn viewed by Naraku.

Our visual range swept over the green lands, the golden fields, and the brown, worn specks that were huts to finally rest up on a small gathering of humans in the village square. Most of them were lying on makeshift mattresses, and a few other humans, mostly women, were going about them, like flies flitting above a grand feast, seemingly tending to their wounds. We hovered there patiently, waiting, until the person we were waiting for arrived, her black hair flying slightly in the light breeze, and a small kit of medicinal herbs in her pale hands. A gentle, concerned smile graced her lips as she made her way to the wounded men and their nurses.

A subtle change occurred in the frequency of the buzz of our wings, indicating a silent communication to each other that yes; this was the person we'd been asked to spy on.

The mysterious Priestess Kikiyo.

The head of our group flew closer to the scene; the rest of us, forming a vague arrow-head-like formation, followed. I decided to keep my thoughts to myself for the time being- a job was to be done; even the slightest distraction in my mind, primitive as it is, would be easily detected by the others, and I would be reprimanded. Travelling in groups was not always advantageous. But even reprimanding did not make much of a difference now, as it used to. There was no honour left to save; no magnificent society left to protect. As it was, each day was a battle for survival- nothing more, nothing less. And yet, when I hear the old veteran insects' stories, I can't help but wonder if somehow, those days would come back.

If I had the ability to do it, like I've seen so many humans do, I would've shook my head then. Wistful pondering was useless; a complete waste of time. I had a job to do now, and I must _do _it.

The priestess, after tending to the wounded, and explaining to the other women the correct usage of the herbs she had brought, got up, turning to leave. Soon she was back into the forest, walking alone along a dense path. We followed her.

Soon, she stopped, and turned sharply to directly face my swarm, her normally gentle eyes flashing. "Naraku," she murmured darkly. "What is it that you want from me? Why do you keep spying on me?"

We just hovered unansweringly, having received no further instructions from the master.

_Master…_ Master! How did we get ourselves into this pitiful state? Our arrogance? Our complacency? Did these facilitate us being overpowered so easily, letting our destinies be controlled by some maniacal evil fiend who never showed his true face out in the open and always bullied his 'sub-ordinate' demons and puppets to do his dirty work for him? The regret, anger and despair overwhelmed my weak insect soul, hitting me the force of a tidal wave; affecting me so much that I swayed and teetered out of formation. An angry buzz sounded at my audacity and indiscipline.

I made my way almost tentatively back to my place in the swarm, embarrassed, but not before I caught a sudden smirk form on the face of the Undead Priestess. She held out a deceptively pale, delicate hand and an aura formed around me, thickening, preventing me from moving at all. I stayed suspended there, paralysed, at the command of _yet_ another master. A confused wave of buzzing swept through my fellow insects before they suddenly turned and left with double the speed they had come.

I couldn't believe it: I had been abandoned by my very own brethren!

The priestess only smiled wider and made a beckoning motion with her fingers, as a result of which I was made to move closer to her. Trepidation radiated from every part of my limited emotional capacity. What was she going to do…?

"Golden Insect of Doom, is it not?" she said softly.

If I had not been paralysed, I would have started. How did she know about our true identity…? An identity lost to us forever, now, of course, but still…

"I know about you very well, you see," she said. "Sixty years ago, when I was but a child, you insects were a formidable force- feared and respected by all. Now…" she shook her head, still smiling. "It never ceases to amaze me how much can change so _drastically_ over the period of just a few decades- honour, position, riches, power…" Her face darkened suddenly. "Even love…"

My mind turned to within myself, recalling all that the veteran insects had told me. We insects, now known only as 'Naraku's poison insects' were once the 'Golden Insects of Doom.' We had, over uncounted generations, served under the greatest of demon lords, propagating their terrifyingly great presence over the land. We were well respected by our masters then, and our powers were allowed to grow to a certain extent. Most of all, the masters were happy with us and we were respected and feared by the people, for wherever was our presence, it meant that a visit from a demon lord over there was ominous. And of course, humans have never liked demon lords, for reasons well known.

We shone with an inner light, happy and arrogant about our seemingly comfortable position in the rocky wagon that was life in Feudal Japan. We were the Golden Insects of Doom- indestructible.

Oh, how wrong we had been.

When our last demon lord died, leaving behind no heir to his legacy, or even the vaguest instructions about what we were to do, our usually strict, hierarchal insect society fell apart, and the many internal squabbles caused us to split, which nearly led to the extinction of our species. It seemed we were doomed to vanish without a trace of our greatness, when Naraku had appeared. He regrouped us again, gave us new purpose and identity, albeit it being not so great as our original one, and literally saved the Insects of Doom themselves from certain doom! We were obviously obliged to return Naraku the favour, and so, whether we liked our lowly job or not, we had to do it, as much out of gratefulness as to survive.

I was brought out of my reverie by a surprising proposition from the beautiful priestess.

"You can get your long-lost legacy back," she said, sincerity shining in her brown eyes. "You don't have to serve the fiendish Naraku anymore, if only you would do as I say."

Doubt shone within me. How could I trust her?

She must have obviously sensed my feelings, for she smiled a smile that could be approximated, by human terms, as reassuring. "Do not worry," she said, her voice softer than ever. "I have the power to liberate you insects, but it is possible only if _you_ perform a simple task for me- a task that is necessary for me to do whatever I have to do to grant your greatness back."

I struggled to communicate with her, voice in my own primitive way my misgivings and hopes, but I was still paralysed. She suddenly raised her eyebrows apologetically, only then realising my predicament. With a wave of her hand, the restraining aura vanished, leaving my wings free to buzz. And buzz they did, voicing to her all that I felt: my wariness, helplessness, and the impossible, overpowering hope that overlooked any and every danger in the light of the possibility of a respectable life for us insects.

And… pride. How would it be if _I _were the one to lead my kind into their brilliant destinies, revive our old respect and honour! My comrades would feel sorry that they had ever abandoned, or tried to abandon me, their saviour! And how would it be if I were the cause for Naraku's demise!

I buzzed in assent against the priestess's palm, waiting for her instructions. I didn't know what she wanted me to do, or how it would bring about Naraku's destruction, but I had explicit faith in her.

She smiled and spoke. "Good. Let me tell you what you must do." She took a deep breath, her eyes slightly distant. "There lives a young priestess, who looks much like me, camping not far from here- a girl you would've no doubt been asked to spy many times before, with her companions."

A young priestess… yes, I knew her… and her companions, the half-demon, Inu Yasha, the monk, the demon slayer, the fox-demon and the fire-cat. A formidable group, they were. It seemed the monk was the only person who actually feared the poison insects' coming, for if he used his main weapon against us- the black void in his hand which sucked in _everything_, demons included- he would be poisoned to death by the venom that runs within our bodies.

But it is not like he hadn't other methods to defeat us, of course.

Question was, what did Priestess Kikiyo want _me _to do against them?

"I want you to poison her," Kikiyo continued. "Inject all of your poison into her, if need be so. But she must _die_. That young priestess, who is reputed to be the so-called reincarnation of me, is the only hindrance to the full outlet of my true power. She must be killed, and I believe you can do it."

_Killed…_ Of course I could do it! A little discretion and a simple sting was all that was needed… for the freedom of my kind! I buzzed upward resolutely, ready to scout out the group and do my job, my mind full of optimism and hope. Little shivers of excitement attacked my little appendages and my antennae quivered. Just a small, previously insignificant insect- namely _me_- was going to change the entire course of history of Feudal Japan!

Kikiyo smiled, sensing my excitement and happiness. "Go, now, my dear insect," she said. "Show that you are indeed the descendant of the great 'Golden Insects of Doom'!"

That was the last bit of encouragement I needed, and I shot off, my compound eyes scouting very carefully the land below for any sign of the group. It was then I realised something: Naraku could see everything I could see! What if he had seen Kikiyo tell me her plan…? I soon shook of the thought. So what if he had seen? It wouldn't make any big difference, anyway. I had faith that, with that other priestess out of the way, Kikiyo would have enough power to defeat Naraku once and for all and liberate the insects.

That happy thought egging me on, I finally spotted them: they had just stopped to rest in a nearby clearing. The young fox-demon and the half-demon seemed to be arguing about something; the fire-cat had curled up and gone to sleep; the demon slayer was cleaning her big boomerang weapon and the young monk was meditating. The young priestess had her head down, seemingly going through the contents of her enormous bag.

Nobody was looking at her; this was my chance!

I shot toward her like an arrow, my sting ready to drive into her arm. I was just a few metres… now a few inches away… from achieving the exalted position of saviour of my entire species!

Just then, a hand, tipped with long claw-like nails rammed into me, crushing me against a near-by rock. "Damned insect," the owner of the hand, the half-demon, said. I was completely squashed against the rock- life quickly ebbed out of me. I could only feel regret and hurt… oh, if only I had been a little more discreet in my approach, I might've won freedom for my clan… a simple mistake- a mistake that doomed my entire species to forever following pitiful live they led now. The last thing I heard was the agitated voice of the young priestess:

"Oh, yuck, Inu Yasha! You could've at least used my bug-spray!"

………………………………………………………………………………………………………

**_A/N:_** Oh, wow. That was a fun chapter to write, seriously. Please let me know if I've got my anatomy wrong anywhere. And thanks to those who've reviewed so far. I'm seriously flattered! Comments and suggestions for more 'seemingly insignificant' characters are welcome!


	3. The Wolf Lieutenant

**_A/N:_** Thanks to everybody who've reviewed, for their comments and suggestions! Do continue to enjoy this and review…

Thanks to **medlii** for suggesting this character.

_**3: The Wolf Lieutenant **_

The Wolf Lieutenant.

That's what I was called: a generalised name for the breed of worshipping lackey that I was, a name so commonly used that all I knew that I was Ginta, one of Kouga's helpers, his followers, his _devotees_. I didn't know what I had been before Kouga came into my life, had no clue what I would have been, because without helping and following the leader of the Wolf Tribe, there was… nothing. There was no way we could survive; no reason for my presence on this Earth.

I accepted that as a fact of life; vanity was dangerous, and not to mention useless. The egoistical nature of the other wolf demons disgust me… if they had at least a mite of common sense, of which Kouga has in abundance, then our population would not dwindle; our kind would not be mocked by the other demons. Kouga, with powers enhanced through the Sacred Jewel Shards, was the epitome of what it meant to be an important member of a Wolf Tribe as old and strong as ours. He was more than a guiding light; a leader.

He was a _God_.

He had saved and breathed hope back into not only mine and Hakaku's lives, but also into countless other wolves'- more times than I could hope to count in my lifetime. We all looked up to him- the lone star in a rapidly polluting sky. Then here was where the ultimate question arose:

Shouldn't we give something back for all that he had done for us? For me?

Shouldn't _I_ give something back?

It was no secret that I could never hope to help him with my comparatively feeble powers… hell, I couldn't even keep up with his speed! Or his intelligence, for that matter. My eyes glazed as a ray of light burst through the murky swamp of my despair.

There was _one_ thing I could do…

"Ginta!"

The sharp voice of my leader broke through my thoughts, and I scrambled into attention, ignoring the rancid stench of the rotting meat I had forgotten while in my reverie. Kouga's eyes narrowed. "Seriously, Ginta," he said derisively, rolling his blue eyes, "If you were any slower, you would be walking _backwards_."

I lowered my head in shame at his jibe; his piercing gaze softened and he turned to face the horizon. "Okay, men," he said to me and Hakaku after a long breath. "Meal time is over; let's get working on finding Naraku's vile stench again."

"But, Kouga…" Hakaku protested. "We haven't finished eating our meal… Ginta's not even touched his!"

Kouga shrugged. "That's your problem then," he said, and hunched his shoulders slightly in preparation to leave. Hakaku opened his mouth again, but I glared him down. Kouga was right, of course. We couldn't waste time because my forgetfulness and inefficiency, while every moment Naraku could be getting farther and farther away from us!

Soon, Kouga disappeared in a dusty whirlwind, and we were panting after him. The exertion prevented me from talking, but it gave me time to think. The dust of the shrub-dotted wasteland through which we were racing entered our eyes, and while Hakaku blinked his eyes furiously to get rid of the dust mites, I was unmoved- used to it, from my childhood.

Memories of that flooded my head, and my mind seemed to be transported to a place above the regular, automatic exercise my body was doing, as if it was a silent, distracted spectator of mine and Hakaku's exertions. Soon, I wasn't seeing myself and Hakaku anymore, but a small wolf-demon boy, with white messy hair and a black streak running through it, standing alone in the middle of an enormous village centre.

Me.

Grim villagers surrounded me in a big circle in the village centre, the men's lips set in white lines, and the women's shapely lips and made-up eyes forming perfect spheres signifying surprise and wonder. Children were not present.

The oldest man in the gathering stepped forward to stand in front of me, his eyes, bright with wisdom, shining against his wasted, wrinkled face. With some difficulty, he got to his knees, so that our eye levels met.

"Tell me, boy," he said, in a tone that was neither conceding or harsh, "Why did you do it?"

Why did they always have to ask it that way? I did _not _do anything; it was something done to _me._

The younger boy in my memory, that was me, opened his mouth. "I have not done anything, sir," I said. "I am merely the first demon to possess the powers of the Magus."

The old man started; he nearly fell on his rear, but I held out an arm and caught him. He shook it off, shaking, scrambling to his feet. "M-Magus?" he stammered in fear.

I could understand his trepidation, even then. Maguses were rare; people even more powerful and fearsome than the strongest priest or priestess of all time. I, as a cub, was adopted by a Magus, who, despite the fact that I was a demon, taught me all she knew. I had spent a lot of my childhood with her, and that was why I could tolerate humans a lot more than my short-tempered companions. But she died within a few decades of me joining her, and I was immediately brought under the villagers' unrelenting scrutiny, this incident occuring after an accidental show of my magic.

The old man withdrew into the now excitedly jabbering crowd, and reached into a faded leather bag at his side. He brought out a fistful of some strange, shimmering powder, and gestured violently toward me releasing his fist. A cloud of that powder surrounded me choking me, stinging me, even more than the dry sands among which the village was situated.

"Be gone, wolf!" They shouted in unison. "Be gone! May your demonic Magus influence never re-enter this pristine village again! Run!"

And run I did, as far away as I could, clawing at my face to get rid of the magic dust, as unchecked tears mingled with it, creating congealed colourful patterns down my cheeks. I was thoroughly disgusted with humans and their pendulum-like mind frames and superstitious nature. I vowed never to go back, or to use my Magus powers again.

After that I was left to tend to myself in the cruel, cruel, world outside- all alone, without the sure protection of my Magus powers. It had been a rough life…

"Hey, Ginta!"

The familiar voice of Hakaku and his restraining hand on my shoulder stopped me in the nick of time, just before I smashed into Kouga, who had stopped. "I'm so sorry, Kouga," I blurted. "I…" I averted my eyes, too embarrassed to tell him that my childhood memories were coming back to me. He was the one who got me out of that nightmare, after all.

"It's okay," Kouga said dismissively, and raised his face to the air, sniffing. "Damn!" he growled. "Still no sign of Naraku!"

We stared on reverently as he continued moving about and sniffing, trying to catch the scent of the elusive Naraku. Kouga had become obsessed with capturing Naraku, of late. The main reason, of course, was to avenge the deaths of kin, but the other, more secret reason I knew, was to impress Lady Kagome. I was awed by the true love and affection he held for the young human priestess, that feeling quickly masking any sort of the lingering grief in my chest. I was not the Demon Magus anymore.

I was the Wolf Lieutenant.

But still, maybe I could connect both to Kouga's benefit… it would be a dangerous risk, but I was willing to try anything, if it would satisfy and please Kouga.

My debt to Kouga, you see, was much more than the others'. I owed more than my life to him- I owed my sanity, my sensibility, my sense of honour, and my fighting skills. My life was happy and satisfactory now, and I wanted him to feel the same way.

I made up my mind.

I would use my Magus skills to bring Lady Kagome to him.

I threw my mind back to the last time the full moon had graced the sky, and I realised that that very night was going to be a full-moon night- perfect for my plans! Kouga, who had found me in the depths of the darkness of the Northern Woods, barely clinging onto life; who watched me and helped me grow up with him, who believed in me, who elevated me to the honourable status of being his lieutenant… I would please him; repay at least part of my debt to him.

It was the least I could do.

Kouga saw the red orb of the sun setting, and sighed. "A disappointment… a whole day wasted… no gain… no clue…" He shook his head, looked around, before pointing to a damp, small cave a little distance ahead. "Let's rest there for tonight," he said. "Tomorrow we'll try again; if it's fruitless, then we'll just have to rejoin the pack."

Hakaku and I agreed immediately with this course of plan. I remembered distinctly my counterpart in another tribe teasing mine and Hakaku's ready acceptance of whatever Kouga said. Questioning occasionally is the sign of an intelligent deputy, he had said. But how could you question God, I had retorted.

Answer?

You can't. Never. Especially a God like Kouga.

We entered the cave and spread crude mattresses of leaves and caked dirt. Hakaku, completely exhausted, quickly stamped out his own bed and fell on it, curling himself into a sleeping position. Kouga did the same in a more dignified manner. I lowered myself onto my mattress as well, eyes slightly open, nose and ears perked up. Soon Kouga's and Hakaku's breathing grew soft and rhythmical- they were finally asleep.

I got to my feet in a nimble movement, trying to make the least sound as possible. Fortunately, Hakaku's snores covered the slight rustle of my feet against the leaves. I tip-toed out of the cave, and into the outside. The splendorous light of the full-moon bathed the surrounding landscape in a silent, silvery aura, every inanimate thing seemingly coming to life as life itself slept, in the shimmering moon light.

I soon got over my awe at this scenic beauty, and reached into the small pouch, made of ox hide, that I carried with me for emergencies. I drew out a small wooden object, round and unremarkable-looking. I sat down cross-legged on the ground and turned it over, tracing with a clawed finger the symbol carved there.

Throwing my mind back to what the old Magus had taught me, my lips formed complicated incantations as I closed my eyes, still tracing the ancient Magus symbol. My mind's eyes spread over the land; it passed a dizzying array of coloured lights that were souls, before settling on an unusually bright one, that was the young priestess. She was asleep, and therefore very vulnerable. I smirked. And the half-demon couldn't interfere, either… the only danger was the young monk, who possessed spiritual powers, but he didn't seem to be in the immediate vicinity, much to my relief.

I stretched out my arm, covering her with the invisible blanket of my power, a dozen miles away. Concentrating even harder, I lifted her up slowly, excruciatingly slowly- centimetre by centimetre. But even that sort of exertion had my strong demon body sweating profusely, and pain beginning to blossom behind my eyes. I knew that if I proceeded to carry her all the way here, it would kill me, but… I was willing to take the risk. Let me die as a martyr, rather than as an indebted, ungrateful, mangy wolf.

That thought only strengthening my resolve, I increased my concentration manifold, my chanting louder, until…

…until a hand, tipped with claws, fell on my shoulder.

That brought me out of my trance with a start, and I rose to my feet and swirled around, in a shocked, clumsy movement. The smell was sufficient to confirm the identity of the intruder before I could even see him.

It was Kouga.

I stood paralysed for a few moments, disjointed thoughts ricocheting inside my head. _How did he know? What does he know? My plans are ruined…_ I despaired silently, all the while staring into Kouga's calm blue eyes. I finally got the courage to stammer, "Ko-K-Kouga…?"

"Ginta," he answered in an even tone. "What are you doing here?"

I stuffed the small magic instrument back into my pouch. "Nothing," I muttered, but I knew Kouga would not believe me by any long shot, for the smell of guilt was radiating off me in waves.

"I thought you had given up that human nonsense," Kouga said, his brow creasing slightly.

I gulped. "Of course, I have… I … just… I…"

My leader's gaze softened, and a small smile graced his lips. The moon, on the sky behind him, seemed to form a halo around his head, only reaffirming my belief that Kouga was a God. "I can bring Kagome myself, Ginta," he said softly. "Don't lose your life for me- you… you have much more to do in life." His smile grew wider. "Come in and sleep, now."

With that, he turned and walked back to the cave, leaving me in a surprised and awed daze. At the entrance, however, he paused and turned to see me, the smile now morphed into a full-fledged grin.

"Don't lose who you are now," he said. "You will always be my loyal and trusted Lieutenant." With that, he disappeared into the cave.

_Loyal and trusted… _My chest swelled with pride. I had had Kouga finally praise me! Of course, I will never make the same mistake again: never, for another one, lose my present identity, the identity that gave me such contentment, awe and satisfaction. I will always be his loyal servant, his ready aide.

His Wolf Lieutenant.

* * *

**_A/N:_** I realise that this might be slightly AU, for the background for Ginta described in this chapter is completely of my creation. I haven't watched more than 65 episodes of the anime, so I might be wrong about a few facts. If so, please don't hesitate to point them out. Thank you! 

Again, suggestions for more insignificant characters are welcome!


	4. The Lustful Lover

**_A/N:_** My usual HUGE thanks to all those who've reviewed so far! I seem to be alive, yes, I didn't die out on you – I'm sorry for not having updated for so long. Reasons are stated in my profile and I'd be much obliged if you could visit it. Do read this chapter and let me know what you think. I'm sorry if you feel it's not up to par, but there was a space of at least two days between every two lines typed, so… ((sweatdrops))

_**4: The Lustful Lover**_

The sun was setting.

Orange, pink and red hues splayed across the land, the colours dancing on my black hair and the surface of the lake I was standing by. The girls accompanying me gave out little squeals as they saw the sunset. I could infer from their excited chatter that they planned to return to the village as soon as possible, and I had to agree with them: the forest held many dangers for a girl at night…

"Koharu!" One of the girls, Sayuri, called. "If you've filled your pot, it's about time we left."

I sighed. "I'm coming," I said dully, walking towards the lake, bending down to collect the clear, sweet water. The twittering increased behind me. I knew exactly what they were talking about, and yet, how could I help it?

How could any girl help it?

Having filled the pot, I turned, my eyes once again on the sunset. So beautiful… so melancholy… so _symbolic_. I felt that, in many ways, my happiness was experiencing its last sunset. Life had become routine, normal… there was nothing to look forward to, nothing to relish, and nothing to hope for… Life had started to become an eternal, dreamless sleep. Never would I feel the warmth of the blood in my cheeks as a gloved hand caught my arms, while indigo-blue eyes stared at me, intense and concerned, contrasting with a playful smile…

"We're going, Koharu," Sayuri said, finally exasperated. "But come soon though; you don't want Taiki breaking his head with worry." Giving a small wink, she hurried to join the girls, and soon she was out of sight.

_Taiki…_

Taiki Sakomoto, son of the village head, and the man I was supposed to marry in a few days. It seemed so _wrong_ somehow; sure, Taiki loved me deeply and I could see that, but another had already captured my heart. I respected Taiki, I liked him, and I admired him, but love… no. There was only one person who had taught me what true love _was_, and I was never going to seem him again. It was so _unfair_.

The clay pot slipped from my numb fingers, shattering into pieces on impact, water splashing everywhere.

I dropped to my knees, the tears dripping from my cheeks mingling with the water.

"_Miroku…_"

By all that was holy, how I missed him! He had been the ray of light that had brightened my miserable life as a slave. He had been the one I'd truly fallen in love with, the one whose memory always brought a lingering smile to my face even in the midst of the direst of toils.

"Aww… why is the little lady crying?"

I froze at the unfamiliar, mocking male voice, not looking up. _What…?_

"Yes, Ryu, we shouldn't leave her like this, especially in the dark," another voice sounded, sneering and dripping with malice. "Why don't we go comfort the young lady?"

_Oh my God…_ I didn't recognise those voices, but I did recognise the sneer in their tones. This did not bode well for me at all. I still did not look up.

"Come on girl," a third voice said suddenly, grabbing my forearm roughly and trying to pull me up to my feet. "No!" I cried, trying to jerk away from his grip.

There were at least six men, all big, bulky and rough looking, with almost identical sneers pasted on their beefy faces. I could see what they planned to do with me in their gleaming eyes, and my struggles to escape my captor increased manifold.

"Don't be so feisty, girl," the one holding me grunted, tightening his grip further, causing pain to travel up my arm, and my eyes to see red. Giving out a high-pitched shriek, I bent my face down and clamped my teeth ferociously over a patch of skin on my captor's beefy forearm. The man cried out in pain, immediately letting go, while I used the opportunity to look for an escape route. The men were surrounding me on all sides; the only way to go was deeper into the forest, which held many youkai. But at that moment, I just didn't _care._ I needed to get away from the men.

I ran into the bowels of the forest as fast as my legs could carry me.

Dark shapes of the trees and foliage sprang up all around me, the shadows of their gnarled branches and trunks seeming like wraiths, hungry to envelop me into their terrifying hold. Overhanging branches and thorn bushes scratched against my kimono and exposed skin, as I heard the man whose arm I'd bitten order the rest of them to get into the forest after me.

_Great,_ I thought, shaking my head. _Of all the men I could bite, I **had**__to bite their leader._

That just decreased my chances of survival to… less than negative, for sure.

As I ran deeper and deeper into the forest, I could hear vague growls and snarls all around. Youkai? I hoped not, though they most certainly were. I found myself hoping that Miroku, _my_ houshi-sama, would make a miraculous appearance once again, swinging his shakoujou against the demons, protecting me.

At that moment, my foot came in contact with a large broken tree branch lying on the forest floor, and I tripped, landing with a big _thud_ and a grunt. I froze as I tried to get up, smelling the stench of a demon leaping from a tree above me, onto my vulnerable back.

Screaming, I rolled onto my back, trying to crush the relatively small youkai under my body weight. Its claws tightened their hold on my back, in response to my efforts, digging into my skin. I could feel the blood – by Buddha, it was hot! – seep out and stain my kimono. Against all reasonable discretion, I screamed my heart out, twisting over and tearing the back of my kimono off, the youkai falling off with nothing more than bloody shreds clutched in its claws. I started running again, and I heard – no, _felt_ – those men's footsteps coming closer and closer to me. They had been alerted to my presence by my screams and struggles.

Truly, it was all over for me now.

Tears blurring my vision, coupled with the pain from the long gashes on my bare back, the forest around me seemed to sway, the shadows getting bigger and bigger, reality fading away into fantasy… I imagined I could see the ravine of the netherworld in front of me, with the boiling fiery pits of hell bubbling fire at the bottom. I skid to a stop in at the edge of the ravine.

_Is this my destiny?_ I wondered. Maybe it was… Throughout my life, I had yearned – so _deeply_ – for a great many things, only to be refused those wants, only to be rejected with a laugh and a shake of the head, only to have those desires to be termed as _naïveté_.

Miroku had been the only person who had taken me seriously… had looked at me with something akin to _respect_ in his mesmerising indigo eyes. A monk – a _handsome_ one at that – looking at me with such concern had really gone to my head, I suppose. I couldn't get rid of Miroku's memory. I couldn't stop thinking about him – about the elegant contours of his face, the deep pools of indigo that were his eyes, the sensuous curve of his smile that just seemed to beg for a kiss…I had fallen in _love_ with him.

But now, I wonder… had it really been love? Or just lust? A scramble to a light I could never reach? The second time I saw him, it had been so obvious – the female demon-slayer accompanying him did feel something for Miroku. A beautiful, brave, strong, intelligent demon-slayer. Everything I could never be. And yet… I still hoped. I still hoped that Miroku might want me, but when he left the village, I knew that I had no chance. But even then, I still hoped.

I was the lustful lover, after all, wasn't I?

Suddenly something hit my soul with the power of a thousand bricks. Was that what I had been reduced to? A lustful girl who craved for the lover of another woman? Had my lust for Miroku really reduced my dignity so much?

Questions ricocheted within me, each one amplifying my guilt and regret.

Dear God, _regret_!

I looked down the ravine again. Imaginary or not, this was the death I deserved.

Taking a deep breath, I jumped.

_It **is** a real ravine, after all_, I thought, as the wind beat against my face. The shredded folds of my kimono flapped behind me. I closed my eyes, awaiting my death.

Suddenly, my descent was stopped. I opened my eyes, craning my neck to look behind me. A fold of my kimono had caught upon a protruding, gnarled tree branch, and I was hanging upside down. I couldn't make any sense of it. Was I supposed to die, or not?

Straining to bring my torso about, I managed to clutch the branch with my right hand. With the other, I pulled the kimono free, so my legs immediately dangled down, the movement pulling on the tree branch. I clutched it tightly with both hands, until the branch stopped shaking.

I looked up. I wasn't at a great distance from the edge – maybe a metre, or so.

Suddenly, a face peered down at me, and my eyes widened in horror as I recognised who it was. White teeth glinted in the darkness as the face sneered. It disappeared a moment later, to be replaced by a voice:

"Hey boss! The girl's here!"

_Oh no._ I closed my eyes again, tears welling up behind closed eyelids. I could hear the excited voices of the rogues as they scrambled to pull me up. It was all over for me.

Suddenly, I heard an all too familiar voice. "Leave her alone!"

My eyes snapped open, and my heart skipped a beat. _Miroku…?_

Was he really here? To save me?

My doubts were confirmed, as I heard the sounds of a fight commencing above – a series of jingles and hard thuds against flesh that undoubtedly came from a shakoujou. My heart swelled in delight, as I heard the men scream and fall one by one. Finally, a face peered out again – a face I wasn't able to recognise in the increasing darkness. "Koharu," it said, its voice a tired mutter, but there was great affection underlying it.

"Miroku…?" I whispered.

"Koharu… come on…" He seemed to be in pain. An arm stretched out, and I stretched mine as well, but our fingers were unable to meet.

"Wait," he muttered, disappearing back onto the ledge. "I think I got some rope here."

Tears of joy cascaded down my face. He was really here. Miroku. _My_ houshi-sama.

"So you came to save me," I said, my voice quivering with emotion. "I didn't think you would come, you know."

There was a pause before he spoke. "Why would you think that, Koharu?" His voice was still a strained whisper, which meant that he'd gotten himself seriously injured in the fight. "I'll always be there for you – wasn't that the promise I'd made to you the first time I saw you?"

A rope unravelled itself down the face of the cliff, its end coming to a stop a couple of inches above me. I looked up to see that he was at the other end of the rope clutching it tight. "Hold on," he whispered. "I'll pull you up."

Smiling through my tears, I reached up and began to close the fingers of my right hand on the rope, when an ominous creaking – of wood – sounded in my ears. I saw to my horror that the branch, unable to bear my weight any longer, was giving away!

"Koharu!" Miroku cried, a high-pitched sense of urgency in his voice. "Quick! Hold on!"

I grabbed onto the rope with both hands just as the branch gave away completely, tumbling into the depths of the ravine. I dangled precariously against the wall of the cliff, clinging on for dear life.

"Don't worry," Miroku grunted through gritted teeth. "I'll get you up, no matter what it takes!"

With that pronouncement, he proceeded to pull me up, bit by bit. I could hear from his grunts that it was a very painful process for him, and I wished very deeply that there were some way I could help him. Swinging ever so slightly to the wall of the cliff, I planted my feet against it, reducing the pull of my body on the rope. Slowly – excruciatingly slowly – the two of us worked together in pulling me up.

Finally, after what seemed like hours, I was at the edge of the cliff. Holding the rope with one hand, he reached out to me with the other. I clutched at it, my fingers enveloped by his calloused hands. He pulled me up, and momentum caused me to fall against his chest.

"Oh, I'm so… so… glad to see you… I… Oh, Buddha…" I blubbered, my face buried in his chest, tears staining his clothing.

"Koharu," he said softly, stroking my head. Then, suddenly, a coarse blanket fell across my bare shoulders. "I don't want you to catch a cold," he explained. I started. There was something infinitely _different_ about him…

I broke the embrace and leaned back a little, to catch a glimpse of his face. I gasped. Instead of the elegant features, small black ponytail and rich indigo-blue eyes of a charmer that I had expected to see, I found myself staring at closely-cropped brown hair, warm, honest brown eyes and the stoic features of a hard-working villager.

Taiki Sakomoto.

I stared at him with a mixture of horror, surprise, and… betrayal. So Miroku-sama _hadn't_ come to save me after all… But what about the sounds of the shakoujou that I'd heard? My eyes flitted to the side to spot a long metallic chain with a sickle at the end – probably Taiki's or the other men's weapon. So that was what had caused the sound.

"Are you all right, Koharu?" Taiki's voice drew my attention back to him – back to his concerned brown eyes… concern mingled with pain…

"Yes," I replied, the whirlwind of emotions within me choking my voice. "Are you… are you hurt?"

He smiled. "A little, but it's only a scratch – nothing to worry about."

My eyes examined his torso and spotted three long, bleeding gashes in his side that were decidedly _much_ more than scratches. Even with such a wound, he had given his all to save _me_… I, who had scorned him so…

My eyes filled with tears once again. Here I was, lusting after a person who'd never regard me as more than a little girl, while there was someone who obviously loved me deeply enough to die for me, and I had completely ignored him!

"Taiki!" I cried, burying my face into his chest once more, sobbing. "I'm so sorry… I love you… Sorry…"

Once again, I could feel his hands gently, unobtrusively stroking me. "I love you, too, Koharu," he said. "Please don't run away like that again… please… you know I'll be there for you when you need me."

"I know," I whispered, leaning into his embrace even more. Behind me, dawn teased the edges of the horizon. A remarkably short night it had been, but a night that had changed my life forever. I was no longer the lustful lover. I had found Taiki; I had found peace, purpose, love. There was nothing that could make me happier than the moment I leant into his strong arms.

I had found myself.


	5. The Scorned Servant

**_A/N:_** Thanks to all reviewers, as usual. Here is a tribute to a character who I feel is rather unfairly ridiculed in the series. Hope you enjoy it, and review.

_**5: The Scorned Servant**_

Power.

The world seemed to revolve around it: everyone, every _thing_ killed, murdered, sacrificed to attain it. And yet… what _is_ power, anyway? Was it even something tangible? What was the end result of it all? They say power corrupts… but I say the will to _retain _it corrupts even the purest of minds. Power by itself… what does it do?

I sighed and leaned against Ahn, gazing at the stars twinkling against the inky black of the midnight sky. There were no answers to my questions there; those who said that one could always depend upon the star patterns to give you the answers you needed were terribly mistaken. Maybe you had to go out into the world to find the answers. Maybe there was _no_ answer.

Maybe the _illusion_ of an elusive answer was what kept people going. Would I ever know which one of my theories were right?

I didn't know the answer to that, either.

"Jaken? Jaken! We're leaving!"

Rin's voice and the sudden disappearance of the comfortable animal-hide pillow that was Ahn's stomach brought me out of my philosophical meanderings – rather unceremoniously, if I might add. Hoisting myself to my feet, I saw the Lord Sesshoumaru was already walking off into the distance with Rin, on top of Ahn, following him in swift haste. Drat it all, why did Lord Sesshoumaru always have to be in such haste?

"Lord Sesshoumaru! Please wait for me!" I gasped, running after him on my short legs. People seemed to think that it was an easy life being Sesshoumaru's lackey – only a spectator of his great power, and a _babysitter_ of the product of one of his rare moments of kindness, that was Rin. Well, I spit at them! Following around probably the most powerful and cold-hearted demon who could kill you anytime all your life is nothing but pure torture! If only Lord Sesshoumaru would show at least _some_ acknowledgement of my loyalty, if only _one_ word of kindness from his icy lips would reach my praise-starved ears…

But it was too much to hope for. To him, to Rin, and the rest of the world, I would always remain what I was destined to be – the scorned servant.

And yet…

Was it _really_ my destiny?

I finally caught up with Lord Sesshoumaru. Walking at my self-assigned place beside Ahn, I lapsed into my thoughts once again. This need not _have_ to be my destiny. Surely I deserved better? When Rin, a _human_ girl of dubious origins received better treatment from Lord Sesshoumaru than _I_ did – I, who was a descendant of a great line of frog demons… it was a fate that was truly despicable! A tragic thing that will forever remain a blemish in the annals of history!

I was obliged to serve him, thanks to the will to preserve the nobility and honour of the great race I belonged to. He had saved us, and I had had to return the favour somehow.

So I went with him, wherever he went. Sometimes I wondered what was the _point_ of our endless journey, what was the meaning of Lord Sesshoumaru's unparalleled power. Obtaining power only seemed to induce one into getting _more_… where did it all stop?

A thing that had no beginning and no end… power was not even real. Power was just an imaginary invention of the disillusioned.

Naraku, Lord Sesshoumaru, Inu Yasha… they are all obsessed with a singular thing… a thing that doesn't even _exist_! Ha! _Now_ who was the superior one here? Maybe I had more potential than I had thought… if I was serving Lord Sesshoumaru on an arbitrary pretext that he was more powerful than I, then I shouldn't let my life depend on such flimsy foundations anymore! It was a big world out there… I didn't have to confine myself.

Basking in this new realization, I smirked to myself. I just had to wait for the right opportunity…

The heat of noon was soon pricking our backs, and, as usual, I could hear Rin's stomach grumbling. Pathetic human. Can't hold her hunger back for two hours, while _I_ could do so for three weeks. Now _that_ was what I called true strength – the strength of will.

"Lord Sesshoumaru?" Rin said. "I'm hungry."

I waited for Lord Sesshoumaru to say the words.

"Jaken. Go with Rin."

I bowed. "Of course, my Lord." Patting Ahn's behind with my staff, Rin and I set off for the nearby river. Lord Sesshoumaru was not coming with us. This was the perfect opportunity to test… no, _prove_ my theory! Rin immediately took to the shallow waters, trying for a juicy catch. I watched her with narrowed eyes, my mind working furiously. Should I…?

Her fingers came out of the water faster than I thought they would, holding a struggling fat fish. "Look, Jaken," she said, smiling brightly. "This would make a delicious meal for the two of us, don't you think?"

"Yes, Rin," I said distractedly. _Should I, or should I not?_

I had to come to a conclusion. Indecision was a fatal flaw – I had learnt _that_ much at least from my travels with Lord Sesshoumaru.

I would tell Rin of my plans. It would add to the dramatic effect, anyway. But of course I wouldn't disclose my _true_ intents and destination… but wait. If I told her now, wouldn't Lord Sesshoumaru get here in time to smell me out and find me? Of course he would. I had to disclose it in a more discreet manner, perhaps…

"Rin, I have to… er… go now."

"Go?" She looked up from her task of cleaning the fish. "Go where?"

_Freedom._ "I know of some very delicious… er… _herbs_ nearby, and I think… it would, um, complement the fish very well."

"Sure," she said, with that usual smile of hers. Stupid girl. Didn't she _know_ that demons hated herbs? "You want me to come with you?"

"No, there is no need for that," I said hastily. "You just wait for me here. While you wait, you can even finish eating your share of the fish – if I'm late. In that case, I'll just save the herbs for until the next time we eat."

She nodded. "You know, you're unusually nice today, Jaken." I gulped. _Was_ I? "But I always knew that you are a nice person on the inside, Jaken. It's about time that nice personality showed itself." That beaming smile of hers was almost blinding. "I'll wait for you here."

"Er… right." Not wanting to risk further conversation, I turned around and quickly disappeared into the jungle bordering the riverbank. I walked for quite some distance, full of myself and my victory, before I stopped abruptly. I was out in the big bad world now – point one. Fine. Point two… what?

What did I do next?

When one started putting faith in oneself, it meant a whole lot of decision making, it seemed. I had always trusted Lord Sesshoumaru to tell me where to go, and what to do next. Even if the demon was disillusioned, he certainly knew how to take care of himself. I spoke aloud to myself:

"Maybe, maybe I shooo_ooood…!"_

The last of my murmuring was punctuated by a scream, as my nose caught the scent of a demon moments before it attacked. Imitating the somersault move I had seen Lord Sesshoumaru execute gracefully so many times, I dodged the initial attack. It came to a crouch in front of me, acidic saliva dripping from its panting jaws, before it leaped again.

"You filthy creature!" I snorted derisively, holding up my staff in front of me. Fire erupted from the head and swallowed the demon, reducing it to nothingness. Smirking, I poked at the charred remains of the pathetic creature with my staff. "You were never any match for me…"

My nose suddenly twitched.

Oh, dear _God_!

The boughs of the trees all around me shook violently as my dead adversary's comrades jumped down, onto the forest floor. They surrounded me, every step tightening the circle – of death. _My_ death.

I couldn't help it. "Lord Sesshoumaru!"

At the very moment the demons had leaped, and I had prepared myself for a sure death, a rough appendage twisted itself around my waist and hoisted me into the air, then onto a tree branch. Even in my completely aghast state of mind, I was able to register that the living, moving appendage was nothing but one of the hanging roots of the huge banyan tree I was sitting on. As I stared in amazement, the other hanging roots also came to life, batting the demons away. Soon, the mangy creatures gave up trying to evade the hard roots to get to me, and scampered away, limping and bleeding. Ha! Nothing more than what they deserved.

My attention then shifted onto the tree I was sitting on. It must be a demon tree, though I had no idea why it had saved my life. Oh, well. It wasn't really my concern, anyway, since in real life there was no meaning to anything, and knowing the reason would serve no real purpose to my odyssey…

"Jaken."

I nearly fell off the bough before I realised that it was the tree demon speaking. But how did it know my name?

"Do not be surprised," the demon continued in its deep, rumbling voice. "We trees always have a way of knowing things."

"The wind," I said, nodding. Of course – the breeze ruffling through the leaves of each tree moved them in a subtly different way, unnoticeable to the naked eye – much like the minute differences between each and every snowflake. They were speaking a silent language – their absolute unobtrusiveness, and the impossibility of telling a real tree apart from a demon, made tree demons the most effective network of spies ever.

Of course they would know about the great Lord of the Western Lands… and his faithful… _formerly_ faithful servant.

Doubts began to creep within me. I wasn't betraying him, was I? Of course not. I had already served him too faithfully for too long, and the individual in me had to come out _some _time…

"That's right," the tree said, interrupting my thoughts. "We use the wind. But tell me, Jaken: why have you left your master?"

I scowled. "And why would _you_ want to know that?"

"Because I think you _owe_ me, yes?"

Owe… yes, I owed it an answer for saving my life, I supposed. "It's personal," I said, hedging around the sensitivity of the question. "Not that I had any fight with Lord Sesshoumaru; we just didn't agree on some matters, that's all."

"Matters such as?" The tree sounded amused.

"Matters of depth, I assure you," I said, still hedging, for I was not sure _myself_ on how to answer the question. Was I doubting my own philosophy at such a crucial stage?

"Well, until you tell me them, I can wait, Jaken," the tree said. "I have but all the time in the world."

"And what makes you think that _I_ will sit for that long on this branch as well?"

"Simple: because I can _make _you."

And it was true: unbeknownst to me, a small branch had snaked around my ankles and shoulders, so that I couldn't escape, until the tree decided to let me go. I sighed. "Alright, I'll tell you: it was due to differences in our philosophies."

"Philosophy?"

"Yes. I have realised that the great 'power' he seeks – as does everyone in the unreal world – is illusory… it has no beginning, nor does it have any end. I don't want to base my life on such a flimsy foundation as a non-existent, theoretical entity…"

"I see," the tree rumbled. "So, tell me, Jaken, what _do_ you want to base your life upon?"

"On… on… on _my_ strengths," I said, trying to find the words to express my overwhelming sentiments. "I want my destiny to be definite; to be _clear_."

"And is it clear now?"

Was it? I didn't know… since I had left Lord Sesshoumaru, _nothing_ had been clear. I really had no idea what to do, how or when…

"Maybe it's not become so clear," I admitted honestly. "But it _will_, soon, I'm sure of that."

"How soon, Jaken? Do you know anything of that? Do you think you'll survive until you've realised it? Barely a few hours have passed since your departure, and your life has already been in danger of permanently leaving this world."

That was true… drat it, why did the tree have to twist things so? "I have won my freedom," I argued. "I might've not been paying much attention just now, but I will soon adapt to this kind of life, I'm sure. _I_ control what I do – I control my _destiny_."

"And yet you say that you haven't realised what your _destiny_ is yet." The tree's voice shook with amusement. "What I can conclude from your _philosophy_ so far, is that you say you are in control of something, of which you have no idea. Isn't that as flimsy a foundation as those you say Lord Sesshoumaru bases his actions upon – perhaps even _more_?"

I faltered. "Maybe, but I – I –"

"Real power comes from knowing where your destiny lies and working towards it, Jaken," the tree said, its voice much more serious now. "With Lord Sesshoumaru, you always knew what to do and where to go – you had a sense of security and _purpose_, because that is your destiny. You may be a scorned servant, Jaken, but you are one of the very few demons on this wasted land that Lord Sesshoumaru really value."

My eyes grew wide, and my chest puffed out. Was I really?

"Greed and lust for power – it's a never ending, viscous circle, I agree, but it _is_ very tangible, for it is what the world is based on today. What makes the difference is how you get it and what you use it _for_… for instance, both Naraku and Inu Yasha are after the Sacred Jewel… yet, one can't all the Sacred Jewel itself as entirely pure, or evil, just because someone with pure or evil intentions and purposes is after it. It is the same case with the _power_ you speak of, though it is mostly generalising."

_That actually makes sense,_ I thought, impressed. The tree's monologue had very subtly brought out the flaws with my own theories. Even though I was with Lord Sesshoumaru, my individuality was not _completely_ forsaken – but when I left him, I lost things greater than individuality – a sense of security, and _purpose_. Lord Sesshoumaru, too, required me in some ways, though he was not very good at expressing it.

"I thank you, tree," I said sincerely. "Perhaps I should…"

"Rejoin Lord Sesshoumaru? Yes, that is very advisable – in fact, he is waiting for you outside this forest at this very moment." With that, the branches released me, and jumped to the ground in a leap.

"Waiting for me?"

The tree laughed, its eerie, rumbling laughter echoing within the forest. "You really didn't underestimate Lord Sesshoumaru's perceptive abilities so much as to think that he couldn't follow your scent, did you?"

_Huh?_ "Who _are_ you, exactly, anyway? And how do you…?"

The breeze suddenly strengthened, pushing me away, whispering into my ear, "_Go._" At the time, I realised that I didn't need to know why – I just had to do what I had to do, because it was my destiny.

Turning, I ran towards the outskirts of the forest, and soon burst out onto the path we had been following earlier that morning. As the tree had said, Lord Sesshoumaru was there, waiting for me, as was Rin, who was seated on Ahn.

"Jaken!" Rin greeted me, as soon as I came out of the woods. "Thank God you're safe. I was beginning to get worried." Her eyes shifted to my empty hands. "You didn't find any herbs, did you?"

"No," I said distractedly. I approached Lord Sesshoumaru and bowed deeply. "I apologise humbly for returning so late, my Lord, and I will accept any punishment you might choose to inflict on me." With that, I shut my eyes tightly, waiting for the inevitable. However, instead of the cold blade of a sword against my head, I felt his claw-tipped hand. "You are forgiven, Jaken – and I don't like punishing people unnecessarily."

I looked up in great surprise – just in time to catch a ghost of an amused smile hovering over his lips. Then he turned and started walking again.

My heart filled with elation, I scrambled to my feet, running after him. "I thank you a million times, Lord Sesshoumaru! You are indeed great, my Lord! Your generosity and magnanimity of character has no parallels in history! Lord –"

His voice interrupted me. "Jaken?"

"Yes, Lord Sesshoumaru?"

"Shut up."

Oh, well.

**_A/N:_** … Oof. Seems like writing philosophy is easier than writing romance…

And did I mention that it was my birthday on August 19, 2005? I'm officially – and finally – 15 now! ((throws confetti))


	6. The Forlorn Flea

**_A/N:_** At long last, the next chapter is up. Thanks for the reviews. I have taken great liberties with the past of Myouga and Inu Yasha's father in this chapter, and I hope it doesn't veer too far from canon. This is also an experiment at a writing style I've never really attempted before – I hope it isn't _too_ bad.

Do read and enjoy!

_**6: The Forlorn Flea**_

Age wasn't always a metre for tolerance.

I snuggled even deeper into the warm feathers of the crow I was riding on, the cold raindrops coming down faster and harder. The occasional drop that slid across the bird's sleek feathers soaked me to the bone (a figure of speech, mind you) and only the frequent sips of blood that I took from the creature kept me from freezing to death. I've faced this situation many times before, but that didn't necessarily mean I was used to it.

But such were the things I had to endure for my master.

Energy swelled behind me, evil aura extending its tendrils through the cascading sheets of rain. I willed the bird to go faster. There was not much more distance before…

"Master Inu Yasha!"

He was there, standing outside Priestess Kaede's hut, wrinkling his nose in distaste at the pounding rain. He looked as if he was about to go in again, and a severe desperation seized control of my body. Making my way to my steed's head, I waited for the moment it would pass over my young master's head. The sizzling of the rain behind me, as it evaporated in the heat of the evil, was a substantial reminder of the risk I was taking, but some things had to be done, and they had to be done _now_.

When the opportune moment arrived, I leapt off my faithful steed, overcoming a strange desire to laugh out loud. Was a part of me actually _enjoying_ this? Kami-sama, it seemed like Inu Yasha and his friends had been much more of an influence than I had originally thought…

With unfailing precision (of course – I had no doubt about that) I landed on my Master's head, which, belying what he did to it with his vigorous daily activities, was agonisingly sleek – made even more so by the rain. Sliding down onto his nose, I took a long, satisfying drink, waiting for the inevitable.

It came.

Inu Yasha removed his hand from my crushed body, allowing me to float and recover on his open palm. A scowl graced the face that held the proud aggression that had made his father so feared. "Well, Myouga? What is it _now_?"

"M-Master Inu Yasha," I gasped, mostly for the benefit of Kagome who had just come out of the hut, "You must save –"

The sky ripped apart above us with a deafening blast of thunder. Lightning forked down, limning a dark figure that approached with slow, deadly rhythm. A pair of ruby-red eyes glowed from within the darkness, and dozens of tentacles writhed around it, coiling and uncoiling themselves like vipers. With a flying leap, I settled on Kagome's welcoming shoulder – anything other than Inu Yasha's person was safe for the moment.

The young hanyou drew out his Tetsusaiga in one fluid moment, holding it in middle guard, eyes narrowing. The figure approached…

-

"_You have saved my life, and it is time I repaid the debt."_

"_But – but you cannot defeat it! You may be the great Dog General, but it…"_

"_I have the Tetsusaiga, my life, and my courage. That is all I need."_

_A blinding flash of light, pounding of limbs against the unstable ground, a proud roar ripping through the stale air, rancid with the smell of freshly-spilled blood…_

_-_

"Die, you scum!"

Inu Yasha embarked on a headlong rush to the creature, swinging his gargantuan sword in sweeping, deadly arcs. The sword's glow reflected in the raindrops made for a very impressive aura, and the young master's swings were surprisingly accurate – I might have even predicted a sure victory for him, if it were not for the fact that…

The sword passed right _through_ the… _creature_, inflicting absolutely no damage!

"Myouga!" Inu Yasha cried, voice sharper than usual from irritation and exertion. "What the _hell_ is goin' on here?"

I didn't answer – the memories…

-

"_It would seem that this is not a time for orthodox measures."_

_A beam of destructive light blazed through the ground, and before it could complete its fiery trail – in an infinitesimal, impossible instant – he rose up in the air, spearing it with the incredible spiritual power of the Tenseiga…_

_And the world exploded in a fusion of gold, green and black._

_-_

"Myouga?"

Kagome's far gentler voice aroused me from my spiralling memories, and I immediately recognised the situation in hand.

I wished I were a thousand miles away, at the very least.

"This demon – if you can call it that – is not of the usual type." I sighed. "A combination of the spiritual powers of one of your arrows and the brute strength of the Tetsusaiga might be more effective."

"Right." Nodding determinedly, the young priestess pulled back her bowstring and carefully placed an arrow in it. The tip glowed with the force of her aura, and I marvelled at the trust with which she had treated my words. Words had such power… the power to change destinies…

Just as they had mine.

The arrow sped from bow with an incredible speed, and I was surprised to see master Inu Yasha respond almost immediately (dear Lord, he _is_ improving, after all) with a spectacular Windscar that cleaved into the demon. Tendrils of the aura of the arrow intertwined itself around that beam of destructive energy and the creature disappeared behind an explosion of light the brightness of which rivalled a party of fire-cats at their most frivolous.

The air rippled behind it, and it was gone as abruptly as it had arrived, leaving us standing alone in the pounding rain. The monk and the demon slayer – followed closely by a nervous-looking Shippo – rushed out of the hut, ready for combat. Upon realising there was nothing there, bemused looks flitted across their faces, to be replaced by supreme annoyance.

Hmph. _Humans._

Inu Yasha slid the transformed Tetsusaiga back into its sheath and turned around to face Kagome – er, me – eyes narrowed and arms crossed over chest. "You've got some explaining to do, _Myouga_."

_Isn't that what I've been doing the whole of my substantial life?_ "That was a demon from a different dimension," I started. "It could not be killed by mere force." Feeling that I had said enough, I jumped off Kagome's shoulder (if regretfully – she _did_ smell delightfully exotic) and onto the ground. "If you will forgive me, master Inu Yasha – I should be on my way…"

No such fortune was going to favour me, however – Inu Yasha's increasingly familiar palm had me in its grip once again, and he stepped into the hut, followed by Kagome and the others. Really, such little respect for one who had been one of his father's most trusted advisors! One whose words had saved his life countless times!

– _One whose entire life had been changed by knowledge and circumstance – _

Inu Yasha deposited me on the floor and sat down, scowling. "You can start by answering, Myouga," he said, "why exactly that…_ demon_ was chasing you."

"I would like to know as well," the monk added, blatant curiosity in his eyes. "I might have caught but a glimpse of it, but I know that such a demon to appear on this plane is _very_ rare." He frowned. "Unless…"

Thanking the Lords that he didn't continue, I jumped onto Kagome's delightful shoulder once again. "If you _must_ know, Master Inu Yasha – then I must start my story from before the first time I met your father.

"At the time, I was but an ordinary demon – not a flea as you might think – weaker and more melancholy than most, but a demon nonetheless."

Shippo interrupted with a loud cry. "You weren't a flea then?"

"No, young Shippo, I was not." I waited for further response, but Inu Yasha's face was almost unreadable – his father would've been so _proud_ to see how his young son had changed – and the others wore expressions of mild shock and curiosity. I continued.

"I lived for knowledge then – the pursuit of awareness of all the secrets the world held dominated every aspect of my life… I wandered, I saw, I learned… before I happened upon your father, in what was decidedly the darkest – yet the most influential – day of my life."

-

_This was it._

_Lying on the ground before me was knowledge of the type I had been working my entire life to acquire – the power to summon demons of unimaginable power from worlds little knew existed; the power to control the destiny of millions, the power to control power itself!_

_I lifted the gently glowing Sacred Jewel in my clawed hands – the Shikon no Tama – and the stone tablet I had acquired after much distress and travel, on which was inscribed the Lost Texts of the Priestess Midoriko. With these, combined with my unparalleled knowledge of spiritual magic, I would achieve my dreams! _

"_What business do you have here, demon, with the Sacred Jewel?"_

_The growled words, with their haughty overtones were frighteningly familiar. I looked up to see the great Inu Taisho stand in front of me, and in his eyes was shining supreme disdain. His spectacular countenance radiated power and confidence – something that I had never possessed._

_Lord of the Western Lands…_

_My grip on the Sacred Jewel tightened and desire exploded within my veins. The Jewel darkened. I wanted…_

_I wanted it all!_

"_Prepare to die, Inu Taisho."_

_-_

"_What_? You tried to… _kill _Inu Yasha's father?"

I winced as Kagome's voice resounded in my ears. A major disadvantage of being small – a fact that not too many people seemed to notice – is that voices and sound are amplified over a dozen times, causing torture to already-sensitive demon ears. "My dear Kagome," I protested weakly, "I was under the influence of the Jewel then."

Inu Yasha let out a loud – and decidedly undignified – snort. "We all know your intentions were never pure, Myouga, so spare us the excuses."

While Kagome glared – quite rightly! – at the hanyou, the demon-slayer spoke up. "The Lost Texts of Midoriko? They really did exist?"

"Of course," I replied. "But they were destroyed not long after my meeting with the great Dog General – most unfortunate, that, for they contained secrets about the usage of the Jewel that would put even Naraku's strongest efforts to shame."

"You _would_ use Naraku as comparison," Inu Yasha muttered, before Kagome urged me to continue. "What happened? He _did_ defeat you, right?"

"Of course. But it was not before the most frightening battle that I – if not he – had ever witnessed…"

-

_The General smirked, his amber eyes glinting with barely-suppressed amusement. "I, preparing to die? At your hands, demon?" His clawed hand rested on the hilt of one of his three swords. "You will regret those words."_

"_Oh, will I?" Laughing at the way he bristled at my audacity, I lifted the Jewel and the stone tablet above my head. My lips formed the words of mantras and spells long forgotten by man and demon-kind, as the air around us crackled with a strange energy. Finally, the very sky above us seemed to tear itself apart and blood red tendrils writhed out of that hole in space, spewing dark venom._

_My laughter reached a crescendo as I lifted the Jewel – glowing with a sudden black aura – higher… summoning hell's worst demons out of their fiery pits, to vanquish all of my enemies. Blood spurted out of my eyes and ears and pain lanced at my insides, but I didn't care. _

_This was Power, and I was in control of it._

_I recited faster and louder and the hole grew wider and wider, and the demon General grew angrier and angrier and…_

_With one last blood-tinted explosion, the hell-demon emerged. It was when I discovered that… that I was not really in control at all…_

_It charged at an enraged Inu Taisho, who dodged and responded with a flurry of attacks with the legendary sword, Tetsusaiga. It was of no use, of course, as the blade passed through the creature like a spear through fog, not harming it at all. Despite my pain, I laughed some more as I saw the calm and ready demeanour of the great General deteriorate with every failed stroke…_

_At the moment, the Jewel fell out of my hands._

_Despite the noise and the darkness, the tinkle of the Jewel as it bounced on the rough ground seemed to echo a million times over, until it sounded like the lowest scream of a bat-demon, piercing in its intensity. The hell-demon turned toward me, its glowing eyes promising sure death. The tablet tumbled from my now-shaking hands… all courage and confidence had left me, leaving my body a pained, bloody shell…_

"_What… what is…?" The General's half-formed question was interrupted as the hell-demon took advantage of his momentary distraction to try and attack him once again. This time, it seemed as if the Dog General would surely die. _

_I couldn't stand it, somehow._

_With an impulse that I surely wouldn't begin to comprehend even centuries from now, I leaped to land in between the advancing hell-demon and the distracted General. Claws tore into my already-tortured hide, and white-hot pain exploded across my consciousness. _

_-_

"So you first tried to kill him, and then you saved his life?"

The monk's thick eyebrows rose impressively. I wished that I could snap at him, but he was one of Inu Yasha's most loyal friends – besides, the Black Hole of his right hand easily made him the equal of almost any demon alive. I certainly wouldn't want to be on the receiving end of _his_ ire. "It is not something I can fully comprehend myself, but I think that my dropping the Sacred Jewel had considerable influence in my action." I stroked my moustache. "You know that the Jewel amplifies the power of any demon – or human, for that matter – many times over. It also amplifies their strongest emotions – mine being, at that time, desire. A thirst for the unattainable."

"Basically, you were one greedy little demon," Inu Yasha muttered, rolling his eyes. A crude way to put it – but correct in essentials.

"So," Shippo cut in, practically squirming in his curiosity, "what happened after that? Did Inu Yasha's father defeat the demon? Did you die? Did he bring you back to life with the Tenseiga?"

"Yes, the great General did send the hell-demon back to the dimension where it came from – if not killed it – using the combined powers of the Tetsusaiga and Tenseiga. The Tetsusaiga provided the brute force, and paved the way for the spiritual magnificence of the Tenseiga, and its natural desire to protect its wielder, to come into play. Much like how Inu Yasha's Windscar and Kagome's arrow combined their powers to defeat the demon.

"I was nearly dead at the time, and the great General brought me back to life using the Tenseiga."

"That still doesn't explain how you became a flea," Kagome said, shaking her head.

If I had visible lips, I would've given her a sad smile.

-

"It's… it's too late for me, now…" 

_The General looked down upon my limp form, no trace of his hostility in his golden eyes. "You have much knowledge – you will be useful. As an advisor."_

_But how? Even if he could use the legendary powers of the Tenseiga, my body was too tainted, wasted, for my soul to return to. There was only so much the sword could do, after all…_

_The Dog General did not seem to mind this, though, as he lifted the glinting Tenseiga into the air and brought it down upon my dying body. _

_At first, all I could feel was an overwhelming numbness, then a sensation of diving headlong into a cool pool of water, floating in its comfortable confines… before sensations of the outside world struck my body once again, and my collapsed lungs burned with the need for air… pain racked my body, increasing in intensity until all agony was concentrated in a single point, searing within my chest._

_I opened my mouth in a silent scream as I felt my body fading, shrinking, dissolving… until the pain stopped abruptly, and I was able to breathe again. I opened my eyes to look up at the great Dog General, wondering why he had grown so large, all of a sudden, and why everything seemed twice as loud, or thrice as big…_

"_You have come back to life… Myouga – as you shall henceforth be known."_

"_L-Life…?" Not comprehending the smallness and timidity of my voice, I looked down at my body…_

… _only to wish that I really **had** died._

_I flexed my new pairs of limbs and fingered the sucker on my face. "But… but… how…?"_

"_Your body was too damaged and corrupted for your soul. The Tenseiga, instead, transferred it to the only other source of life it could find on your body – a flea."_

_A flea…_

_I looked up once again at the General, who seemed to be waiting for me to say something._

_Well, there was only one thing left to do._

_-_

"That… that was an amazing story."

Kagome smiled. "I had never really imagined that you'd had such a past, Myouga…"

I shrugged. "Nobody does. But what's done is done, and I must admit that I do not mind this way of life too much, after all – there's no way I can go short of food, for one."

Inu Yasha snorted once again. I'd come to realise that this was his way of demanding attention, rather than an expression of blatant disrespect. The young master could still be such a _child_, at times. "So if my father defeated that 'hell-demon', or whatever you call it, why was it chasin' you today?"

"When I opened the hole into this dimension, I suppose it never fully got repaired. Let's just say that… I 'ran into' the very place the fight had occurred, centuries ago. My presence there was a catalyst to its re-awakening, I suppose."

While Inu Yasha still looked at me with something akin to suspicion, Kagome stood up with a decisive air. "No need to worry about it, now – it's gone." She kicked open a mattress at her feet. "I think we should be getting to sleep, hm?"

The others agreed, and the lamplights were soon off (_after_ Inu Yasha and the monk were driven out of the hut, of course) and a peaceful silence descended upon the room, punctuated by the steady rhythm of the two women's – and Shippo's – breathing. In a way, I had grown rather used to this little group of people – despite their obvious shortcomings, it was still a group that complemented and supported each other.

I wondered if my destiny would've been any different if I had travelled with company, if the undying quest for ultimate knowledge had not blinded me to everything else in life.

Maybe, maybe not. No one could say for sure.

Almost involuntarily, I lowered my face down to Kagome's neck and took a sip of her sweet blood. Her cheek twitched and she gave a small smile of pleasure as she slept. Whatever could've been, or could be, I still had a life to live, duties to fulfil, and masters to serve… and I will continue to do so, whatever form or shape I maybe in. I will survive, persist, advise, _live_, for…

I _am_ a forlorn flea, after all.


End file.
